Breaking the Bank: This Week’s Huge Payouts

Breaking the Bank - featuring data courtesy of Equibase - highlights the biggest scores of the past week in racing. (Photo by Penelope P. Miller/America's Best Racing)

Keeneland Race Course hosted its signature weekend of the spring meeting – three days of racing highlighted by the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes – and a series of cards with full, competitive fields led to major upsets and big payouts.

The fireworks started on Friday when a beaten 6-to-5 favorite combined with double-digit odds for the top four finishers produced a $142,453.60 return for a $2 superfecta in Race 6. There was a total of $88,424 wagered into the pool and with a dime minimum bet we can come up with a $7,122.68 payout for a 10-cent bet.

With heavily favored Colonel Joan finishing seventh, the door was open for a big return and 59.80-to-1 longshot Marquee Cal Gal edging 11.60-to-1 Sea Shadow by a neck for fourth definitely helped boost the superfecta payday. The return might have even been greater had 30-to-1 runner-up Candy Crush caught 10-to-1 winner Ma Billet Doux, but the winner held on by a neck. Paradise Alley finished third at 19.20-to-1. The $2 exacta payout was $557 and the trifecta paid a whopping $6,395.40 for $2, but that wasn’t even the highest trifecta return of the weekend at Keeneland.

The Grade 3 Shakertown Stakes, a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint that almost always produces a thrilling finish, ended with a thrilling finish between longshots on Saturday at the Lexington track. Pacesetter Marchman (23.80-to-1) held off fast-closing Positive Side (33.70-to-1) to win by a neck. Something Extra finished third at 6.70-to-1 odds to round out a $11,969.00 trifecta, this top return for a $2 tri for the week.

The Shakertown was the eighth race on Saturday’s card and ended up as the key race for a couple of other significant payouts: the $2 Pick 3 for Races 6-8 paid $8,707.80 with 17.10-to-1 World Is Watching taking the first leg and 9-to-2 Occasional View the second race in the sequence; the all-graded stakes Pick 5 (races 7-11) ending with the Blue Grass Stakes paid $30,150.65 for a 50-cent bet.

The weekend at Keeneland closed on Sunday with a Super High 5 — a bet that asks the gambler to pick the top five finishers in order in an individual race, usually the last race on the card — that returned $41,529.70 for a $1 investment or, in this case, $20,764.85 for a 50-cent wager.

Top Payouts for the Week Ended April 13

Wager
Wager Amount 
Payoff 
Track
Date
Race#

Win
$2.00
$124.60
TUP
4/8/14
7

Place
$2.00
$59.00
PIM
4/10/14
5

Show
$2.00
$30.20
EVD
4/12/14
1

Exacta
$1.00
$381.60
TUP
4/9/14
4

Exacta
$2.00
$1,434.00
LS
4/12/14
4

Quinella
$1.00
$121.80
TUP
4/9/14
4

Quinella
$2.00
$313.60
WRD
4/12/14
7

Trifecta
$1.00
$2,644.80
SA
4/11/14
7

Trifecta
$2.00
$11,969.60
KEE
4/12/14
8

Superfecta
$0.10
$2,573.40
LS
4/10/14
2

Superfecta
$1.00
$38,918.40
OP
4/11/14
3

Superfecta
$2.00
$142,453.60
KEE
4/11/14
6

Daily Double
$1.00
$422.70
TUP
4/8/14
8

Daily Double
$2.00
$2,681.40
MNR
4/12/14
5

Pick 3
$0.50
$893.15
LS
4/11/14
9

Pick 3
$1.00
$5,622.75
WO
4/12/14
8

Pick 3
$2.00
$8,707.80
KEE
4/12/14
8

Pick 4
$0.50
$13,379.15
LS
4/11/14
9

Pick 4
$1.00
$16,269.70
EVD
4/12/14
11

Pick 4
$2.00
$41,661.20
MNR
4/8/14
5

Pick 5
$0.50
$30,150.65
KEE
4/12/14
11

Pick 5
$1.00
$40,418.70
TAM
4/9/14
9

Pick 5
$2.00
$46,057.80
MNR
4/8/14
9

Pick 5 Jackpot
$0.50
$8,201.80
FON
4/12/14
11

Pick 6
$1.00
$1,411.40
TUP
4/9/14
9

Pick 6
$2.00
$76,593.20
SA
4/12/14
9

Pick 6 Jackpot
$0.10
$323.76
CRC
4/12/14
8

Pick 6 Jackpot
$0.20
$10,489.90
GP
4/12/14
9

Pick 6 Jackpot
$1.00
$32,626.80
SUN
4/8/14
11

Super High Five
$1.00
$41,529.70
KEE
4/13/14
9

Super High Five
$2.00
$13,884.20
MNR
4/9/14
9

Last week was yet another example of the potential for a big score playing the Pick 6 on weekends at Santa Anita Park even when logical winners make up the majority of the sequence. The first two legs of the Pick 6 on Saturday at Santa Anita — Races 4-9 — were won by Tancred at 7.40-to-1 and Tribal Sky at 11.80-to-1. Bettors who got past those two legs had a great chance to cash a big ticket. The final four races were won by Ferocious (5-to-1), Intoxicating Move (even-money), Big Macher 2.10-to-1 and Distillery (3.30-to-1). 

The chase for the elusive Rainbow 6 continues with a carryover of $5,160,351 from Sunday’s card at Gulfstream Park. The Rainbow Pick 6, which has not had a unique winner since Jan. 10, continues with Friday’s card at Gulfstream. The Rainbow 6 will be comprised of Races 3-8 with post time for the third race scheduled for 2:27 p.m. ET.

Good luck!

© 2014 Equibase Company LLC, all rights reserved. Data provided or compiled by Equibase Company LLC generally is accurate, but occasionally errors and omissions occur as a result of incorrect data received by others, mistakes in processing and other causes. Equibase Company LLC disclaims responsibility for the consequences, if any, of such errors, but would appreciate their being called to their attention.